


Alone Together

by Katraa



Category: Free!
Genre: Gen, M/M, and haru just really likes hot chocolate and making fun of the idiot, do not try this at home, drunk rin likes to dance with lamps, holiday fic, sleep fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-20
Updated: 2013-12-20
Packaged: 2018-01-05 05:26:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1090132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katraa/pseuds/Katraa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haru sighs, taking a sip of his nonalcoholic hot chocolate.  He barely lifts his gaze to look over to Rin who has managed to disconnect his lamp from the socket and is now twirling it around.  "You're going to break it."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alone Together

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alliterations](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alliterations/gifts).



> Because sleepfluff is the best and she showed me an absolutely adorable picture of them. ...and because the series needs more rinharu fluff between these two dorks.

It's snowing out, pretty badly actually, and Rin has a long walk back. Haru notices the snow picking up around six, notices the heaviness in Rin's eyes at seven, and by eight, they're sharing hot chocolate and smores on the couch, watching bad movies. By nine, Rin is making bad jokes and is having too much to drink of the vodka he's brought over in order to celebrate another finished semester where they both did not fail (and Rin got perfect marks, the jerk, but that certainly explains why he was accepted at such a prestigious school in Australia). And finally, by ten, after too many shots of vodka, Rin is trying to show off his muscles and dance moves he learned from his swim-team by way of a lamp as a dance partner. Even Haru feels awkward for him.

"Hey, Haru," Rin says, snapping just a bit at the start, "Are you even paying attention? 'm trying to teach you a life-lesson here."

Haru sighs, taking a sip of his nonalcoholic hot chocolate. He barely lifts his gaze to look over to Rin who has managed to disconnect his lamp from the socket and is now twirling it around. "You're going to break it."

"Am not," Rin answers immediately. It's followed by another graceful twirl to the lamp that's suspiciously Haru's height.

"You're paying for it when it breaks," Haru continues and he blows on the top of his mug, trying to get it to cool down. 

Rin finally sets his dance partner down, bows to it - jesus christ, what?, the goofball - and he makes his way back to the couch. He doesn't sit down, of course, and reaches for the bottle of vodka once more. Haru notices and moves a hand to swat Rin away. "Don't you think you've had enough," Haru begins but is cut off by a rather loud, booming laugh from Rin. For some reason, it strikes him to the core, even now. It's been so long since he's heard Rin's variety of laughter…

"I'm a man," Rin explains, flexing his muscles as he reaches for the bottle a second time. "I'll be fine, wuss. Just because I can hold my liquor and you can't…"

"That's not going to work," Haru sighs. He knows Rin's angle and he's heard that line before in a book. He isn't going to start drinking because of a dare. Usually, a challenge would cause him to perk up and face it head on, but this isn't a challenge and is just Rin trying to make something stupid into one. It's not a challenge.

"Wuss," Rin says again, voice a bit sloppy as he takes another shot of vodka, barely managing to not spill it on Haru's carpet.

"And you're cleaning that in the morning, too," Haru mumbles, setting his hot chocolate down on the far end of the table that is away from his friend. Just in case.

"Huh? Morning?" Rin pauses, setting down the shot glass after he throws it down. So far, the only things he's done to even show signs of being tipsy are dancing with a lamp and very red cheeks. His words aren't too slurred and he isn't falling everywhere. Haru wonders if Rin did this a lot back in Australia. 

"Yes," Haru deadpans.

"'m staying?" Rin questions, eyebrows lifted.

"Yes," Haru reiterates, his eyebrows twitching. "You'll die out there."

"'m not drunk, Haru," Rin growls out defensively, hands going akimbo on his hips. "I can walk back without dying."

"It's snowing." Haru shakes his head and then points to the window. "Frost-bite."

Rin makes a face. As if not believing his very sober friend, he heads over to the window and peeks out. As Haru had claimed, there was a decent amount of snow outside, reaching up to the front stairs of Haru's place. The sidewalks hadn't been plowed yet and the roads looked no better. Defeated, Rin walked back over to Haru, noticeably more sober. 

"Told you," Haru says under his breath as he leans his cheek into his palm.

"Idiot…" Rin mutters as he rubs the nape of his neck. All that energy and smarmy attitude that had been present earlier is gone and Rin only looks tired now. The redness in his face is dying down and his movements are lethargic and slow. 

"What's wrong?" Haru asks it, only partially curious, as he looks over to his phone. He has a text from Makoto warning him to stay inside and stay warm. He's such a Mother… but Haru smiles, just a bit, nonetheless. It's a nice, warm reassurance. 

"You're smiling," Rin mumbles to no one in particular and then rubs at his eyes. "It's nothing, Haru."

"You're being weird," Haru says and gets up from the couch. When he catches sight of a yawn, his suspicions are confirmed. "You're tired."

"Stop trying to… pretend you can read my mind or somethin'," Rin grumbles and he tries to shove at Haru but he misses. He had anticipated the other coming closer, so he reacted before Haru actually did move. Now, he's just embarrassedly swatting at thin air.

"You're going to bed," Haru says, continuing his list of 'You're's. 

"Am not," Rin says stubbornly. "It's only ten and there's half a bottle of vodka left, Haru. I fully expect--"

"No," Haru drills it out and shoots his friend a harsh look. Rin immediately shuts up.

"Ok…" Rin looks like a kicked puppy all of a sudden, as if he's going to cry. Haru feels something knot in his stomach about that and he looks away, face warning. He's a shark-toothed puppy that is making a mess of his usually organized place and is a pest and his tears definitely don't tug at something deep inside Haruka.

"Follow me," Haru sighs loudly and he heads back to the bedroom.

When Haru gets there, he undoes his bed and fluffs up the pillows. Rin is close behind and is lingering in the doorway, still looking as if he's been kicked when he's down. Finished with his task, Haru turns to Rin and points down at the bed, silently urging him to lay down.

"I'll get you water," Haru says and leaves the room, nudging Rin further in the room as he passes by him. Stubbornly, Rin accepts and lays down, his world spinning just a bit from that last shot. Maybe the idiot doesn't know his limits after all.

Haru lingers in the bathroom for awhile, filling a cup with water. He's too lazy to go to the kitchen to get it, since the bathroom is closer, and he really doesn't want to go too far from Rin in case he decides a dresser is an even better dance partner than his lamp was. The swimmer stares at himself in the mirror, noticing how exhausted he looks. But under it all, he looks noticeably happier. The bags under his eyes are gone and the droop to his eyes is turning around, too. Ever since the swim-team started back up, and ever since Rin came back all those months ago… Haru banishes the thought and shuts off the faucet and heads back to the bedroom.

When he gets there, Rin is curled up on his side, side of his face buried in a pillow. Haru sighs, yet again, and steps over to the vacant side of the bed. "Hey, Rin," he says, holding the cup out to him.

"Just…set it down on the night stand, idiot. Just wanna sleep."

"You're going to get a hangover." 

"Am not," Rin argues, drowsily, and swats at the offered glass.

Haru defeatedly sets it down and turns to leave, grabbing a pillow with him. If Rin is going to take up his bed, he is going to sleep out on the couch. It isn't that comfortable but it's better than waking up with vomit in his hair. 

"Haru." 

Haru is stopped when his sleeve is very lightly grabbed. Blue eyes shift over and down to the hand, tossing it a very suspicious stare. What is this all of a sudden? He doesn't answer Rin and stands there, waiting for the redhead to continue. 

"Stay."

Something hits the core of Haruka again and he feels dizzy, as if he himself has had lots and lots of vodka. He immediately frowns in the darkness, cheeks turning a bright red. He's glad that the light is off. Oh so glad.

"This isn't a sleepover, Rin. We're not six…" Haru tries to sound stubborn and annoyed but it comes out more like a whisper between friends.

"So? Get your ass down here…" Rin tugs on the sleeve.

Feeling like he's on a sinking ship, Haru obliges and lays down next to his friend. At that moment, he's cursing how small his bed is and how close he is to Rin - how he can feel his natural body heat, feel his breaths tickling at his face, feel every jerk and movement of Rin's body transferred through the cheap mattress. Haru is dizzy as hell.

"Close your eyes. Your staring is freakin' me out, can't sleep," Rin says and pokes at Haru's arm.

"You're being a jerk," Haru mumbles but closes his eyes and tugs up the blankets, regardless. He doesn't try to dwell too much on it all, because feelings are best not indulged or thought about. He's locked some things so far away that he's hoping they'll never resurface. Even if the person who got him out of his slump and back into the pool is literally a few inches away from it. "And you smell." Like metal, like booze.

Rin doesn't answer and it's then that Haru realizes he's fallen asleep. It's a few minutes later that his breathing evens out and his arm comes to curl - protectively, even - around the smaller of the pair. Haru's blood goes ice cold and stomach lurches, drops, twists, and his eyes widen. That was utterly unexpected.

"Rin…" Haru grumbles, trying to wiggle away but finds it's impossible.

They're snuggling. Absolutely snuggling, and there's no escape. Haru rolls his eyes and wonders if Rin will even remember this in the morning. He himself vaguely remembers sleepovers when they were younger, about Rin being a blanket and bed-hog, and about the other always wanting to sleep close to his friend. He wonders if Rin still does it because he's lonely.

A few more minutes pass before Haru finally relaxes and wills the tenseness away. He isn't used to being touched like this, except from the warm pats on the back and shoulder from Makoto that seem to happen on a daily basis. This is different, though, and doesn't feel platonic and comforting. This feels hot and dizzying.

"Stupid Rin…" Haru says to himself and bites back the urge to kick his drunken friend. 

A few more minutes pass after that and Haru can't fight the urge to touch Rin's hair. It feels unbelievably soft. He's always wondered how the other kept it looking so perfect with how long it is. Even the ends feel soft, not try and crisp like most people with long hair. Haru wrinkles his nose up and absently cards his hand through the other's hair. He's almost jealous. 

…But why should he be? He's probably the first to-- no, that's not right. Rin is popular and oddly charming so it wouldn't come as a surprise if he's been flirting and messing around with girls. They all probably love his hair, too.

In that moment, Haru feels jealousy prick at him and he tries to shove it away. He hasn't felt like this since other people were allowed turns in the pool and he wasn't. This is absurd.His hand continues through Rin's hair until he falls asleep as well. His body pushes closer to Rin and it's definitely snuggling at that point. As he sleeps, his head comes to rest on Rin's shoulder, pressed close and legs entwined with the other swimmers. It's the best rest he's ever had. In the morning, he plans to wake Rin up by dumping the cold glass of water on him. Serves him right for choosing a lamp over him to dance with. Idiot.

But for now, he can't really complain. Because of all the people in the world, Rin Matsuoka is sleeping beside him and is home, finally home, and with him again, swimming with him again.

And stealing his blankets, again.

His house yet again feels like a home. Finally.


End file.
